Hallo! What a good feeling to return home after a long and amazing week of hiking and backcountry camping in cold yet beautiful Norway. In fact, I would have loved to stay longer cause it is a place I sincerely like, so peaceful, wild and clean, with good calming vibes. This week was an opportunity to switch off my cellphone and disconnect for a moment from my busy daily life. It was also a moment to find back myself, to breath and allow some me-time. That does not mean that I have spent the week chilling, on the contrary it might have been one of the most exhausting week of my self! We spent our days hiking, for long hours, in pretty harsh conditions, to reach submits from which the unreal view definitely worth the effort! I am basically not a very good walker person, so it was pretty challenging for me, but it also feel so good to go outside of comfort zones and prove myself what I am able of.

All these intensive physical activities were also a very good pretext to fuel our bodies with all the delicious treats Norway has to offer. Norway is not the most vegan-friendly country, the harsh weather conditions and their historical background have created kind of a “you have to eat meat and fat to be strong and survive winter” philosophy. Their traditional food includes a lot of fresh fish, seafood and meat. But they are also pretty openminded and seem to make their best to propose food for everyone. Thus, most of restaurants and cafés in the main cities have several vegan options. Even in the small supermarket you can easily find vegan cookies, local kombucha or dairy-free ice-cream (happy me!!!).

But my favorite thing about Norway is bakery. To my mind, Scandinavian countries are the best in bakery, particularly when it comes to their amazing seedy rye breads. I love to visit Scandinavian bakeries, it is always a spectacle for your senses: all the breads and pastry of all the colors, textures and forms lined up behind the counter, the smell of cinnamon out of the oven where batches of bollers and rolls are finishing to bake. I always feel like a kid in a candy shop, struggling to choose what she will snack on. This time in Norway, I have discovered a chain of bakeries called Godt Brod which proposes delicious fresh bread and pastries. I felt in love with their rosinbolls vegan way and their granola. They sold an homemade granola which was just perfect to me: spicy, with nuts and big chunks. It was a very simple granola, without embellishment, just THE granola you can eat as it is – I bought a full jar and finished it in the day…

And, at this moment I realized that this recipe of simple traditional granola was really missing on my blog!! It is my favorite food, I often tell you about my love for granola baking on the morning, I basically make granola every weekend, but damn there is no recipe on the blog!! Time to change it! The day after my return, I started working on a recipe of granola, simple enough that everybody can do and love. I remind Norway, and decided to keep simple with a oats base -so that you can make it gluten-free, added some seeds, almonds and spices, and just a handful of raisin after the baking to bring sweetness and softness. Also, I tried to keep it as healthy as possible, substituting most part of the sweetener by apple sauce. Apple sauce is a magic ingredient that add moisture and sweetness in your preparations, and helps hold everything together. In the granola, the apple sauce is the binding component that permits to create the big chunks. I put a bit of coconut oil for the golden effect but you can omit it for an oil-free version. As I often say, granola is awesome because very versatile. This recipe is a delicious all-purpose base, but you can customize it by changing the base, using other nuts or seeds, or adding spices, cocoa powder, matcha or everything you love! Be creative with this granola and let me know how it turned for you, I would love to see your creations!

Alice

THE BEST TRADITIONAL GRANOLA

Prep time: 10 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Serves: about 4-6 servings 

INGREDIENTS:

Dry ingredients:

– 1 cup large flaked oats (gluten free if needed)
– 1/4 cup whole almonds
– 2 tbsp chopped almonds
– 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
– 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
– 1 tsp cinnamon powder
– pinch of salt

Wet ingredients:

– 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
– 1 tbsp maple syrup
– 2 tbsp apple sauce
– 1 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings:

– 1/4 cup raisins

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 300F and line a baking pan with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.

3. In a separate bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together until roughly combined.

4. Pour the liquid mixture in the bowl of dry ingredients and stir well using a spatula until everything is evenly coated. 

5. Spread the mixture evenly on the baking pan, forming a compact and thick rectangle, and bake for 10 minutes.

6. After the 10 minutes, remove the granola from the oven and stir using a spatula to ensure an homogeneous baking. Stir gently not to break all the granola and keep some big chunks. Repeat this process one more time, until you reach about 30 minutes total baking. If necessary, allow more baking time until your granola is golden.

7. Remove the granola from the oven and immediately mix in the raisins. Allow to completely cool down before serving or storing.

8. Store the cooled granola in a glass jar or an airtight container. Can be kept for more than a week in a dry place away from light. 

MON GRANOLA PREFERE

Temps de préparation: 10 minutes
Temps de cuisson: 30 minutes
Quantité: environ 4-6 parts

INGREDIENTS:

Ingredients secs:

– 1 cup gros flocons d’avoine (sans gluten si besoin)
– 1/4 cup amandes entières
– 2 tbsp amandes effilées
– 2 tbsp graines de tournesol
– 1 tbsp graines de courge
– 1 tsp cannelle en poudre
– une pincée de sel

Ingredients humides:

– 1 tbsp huile de coco fondue
– 1 tbsp sirop d’érable
– 2 tbsp compote de pomme
– 1 tsp extrait de vanille

Toppings:

– 1/4 cup raisins

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Préchauffer le four à 180°C et chemiser une plaque de cuisson de papier cuisson.

2. Dans un grand bol, mélanger tous les ingrédients secs.

3. Dans un autre bol séparé, mélanger tous les ingrédients liquides et remuer jusqu’à homogénéisation.

4. Verser le mélange liquide dans le bol d’ingrédients secs et mélanger à l’aide d’une spatule jusqu’à ce que tout soit bien enrobé.

5. Etaler le mélange sur la plaque chemisée et à l’aide d’une spatule, former un rectangle compact et assez épais. Enfourner pour 10 premières minutes.

6. Au bout de 10 minutes, retirer la plaque du four et remuer le granola à l’aide d’une spatule, en retournant pour assurer une bonne cuisson. Remuer délicatement afin de ne pas casser toutes les pépites de granola. Répeter cette étape une autre fois, jusqu’à atteindre 30 minutes de cuisson. Si nécessaire, allonger le temps de cuisson pour avoir un granola bien doré.

7. Sortir le granola du four et ajouter immédiatement les raisins. Laisser refroidir complètement avant de servir.

8. Placer le granola refroidis dans un récipient hermétique,  il peut être conservé ainsi plus d’une semaine dans un endroit sec et à l’abris de la lumière.